Sudbury Schools Add Diwali, Eid to 2027-28 Calendar

In this report: Key decisions · Next dates · Full report · Sources

What happened

The committee voted 3-0 with two abstentions to add Diwali and the two Eid holidays to the 2027-2028 school calendar as full days off, after sustained public pressure from students and families. Members Betsy and Karen abstained, with Karen objecting to the process as rushed and non-transparent, while Lunar New Year was not included despite some member requests. The committee also voted 5-0 to raise preschool tuition and approved policy ACL, but tabled the superintendent search screening committee charge after disagreement over process.

Key decisions

• 📜 Add Diwali and Eid holidays to school calendar. The committee voted 3-0 with two abstentions to add Diwali and the two Eid holidays to the 2027-2028 elementary and middle school calendar as full days off. Lunar New Year was not added despite some member requests. (Vote 3-0 with 2 abstentions). Read case details
• 👤 Approve superintendent search screening committee charge. The committee tabled the superintendent search screening committee charge rather than voting on it, after member Karen raised concerns about the process moving too quickly without the full committee meeting with the Collins Center search consultants. The committee agreed to continue discussion at a future meeting with Collins Center participation. (Vote tabled). Read case details
• 💰 Raise preschool hourly tuition rate for 2027-2028. The committee voted 5-0 to increase the district's preschool hourly tuition rate from $11.49 to $12.18, roughly a 6 percent increase, for the 2027-2028 school year. This would generate about $27,000 against roughly $30,000 in added staff costs, with the difference covered by program reserves. (Vote 5-0). Read case details
• 📜 Approve Policy ACL (The Protect Act) on third reading. The committee voted 5-0 to approve policy ACL, known as the Protect Act, on its third and final reading with no suggested edits. (Vote 5-0). Read case details
• 📜 Replace 'No School' with holiday names on calendar. The committee voted 5-0 to replace 'No School' labels with the actual name of each holiday on the front page of the 2027-2028 school calendar, following a recommendation from the Sudbury Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission. (Vote 5-0). Read case details
• 📜 Approve annual school committee goals package. The committee voted 3-2 to approve school committee goals for the year spanning superintendent search, community engagement and technology transparency, with a proposed parent-inclusive technology task force excluded due to staff time constraints. Members Betsy, Ellen and Karen voted yes; Julie Williams and Jessica voted no. (Vote 3-2). Read case details
• 📝 Approve food service management RFP timeline. The committee voted 5-0 to approve a timeline for issuing a request for proposals from food service management companies, required because the current food service contract expires at year's end and the state introduced a revised RFP process. (Vote 5-0). Read case details
• 📜 Approve community survey on food services. The committee voted 5-0 to approve a community survey on food services. (Vote 5-0). Read case details

Next dates

• Nov. 2: Preliminary FY28 budget presentation (tentative)

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Full meeting report

The complete, section-by-section account of the meeting, 3,438 words, for members.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.